NRL: Anderson tipped for referee job

Former Parramatta and Warriors coach Daniel Anderson is set to be appointed the high-performance director of refereeing for the NRL.

News Limited has reported that Anderson will take up the position for three years with the appointment to be made official later this week.

The new refereeing structure approved by the Australian Rugby League Commission is expected to see veteran referee Tony Archer retire to become one of two full-time coaches.

The other coach is tipped to be Englishman Russell Smith, who has been in an acting role since the sackings of Bill Harrigan and Stuart Raper last month.

Harrigan and Raper were axed after a tumultuous year in the refereeing ranks in the NRL and representative rugby league with a number of controversial decisions including the try awarded to Queensland's Greg Inglis in State of Origin I.